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The container ship ran aground on the Astrolabe Reef off the Bay of Plenty coast last October, and eventually broke up last month.

Tonnes of oil leaked into the sea and washed up on local beaches, as did some of the hundreds of containers onboard and their contents.

Dr Smith, who today faced a grilling in Parliament over the cost and possible prosecutions in relation to the disaster, said there was still significant uncertainty about the total cost of the salvage and clean-up, and it would not be clear until the operation was completed.

"A crude estimate of the total costs has been provided to me by officials, of $130m, of which the bulk is for the salvage of fuel cargo and the ship itself," Dr Smith said.